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Twitter Threatens Legal Action Against Meta Over “Twitter Killer” App

ByAlki David

Jul 6, 2023

In a surprising move, Twitter is gearing up for a potential legal battle against Meta, the parent company of Instagram. The social media giant is accusing Meta of creating a text-based application, Threads, which it claims is a blatant copycat of Twitter and other similar platforms. According to Twitter’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, Meta has engaged in what he calls “systematic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation” of Twitter’s trade secrets and intellectual property.

Threads, introduced by Meta on Wednesday, serves as a companion to Instagram, focusing on text-based interactions. This new platform bears a striking resemblance to Twitter, raising concerns within the Twitter camp. Spiro wasted no time in penning a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, laying out Twitter’s allegations against the company.

“Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information,” wrote Spiro in a letter exclusively obtained by Semafor. He further stated that Twitter reserves all rights to seek civil remedies and injunctive relief without any prior notice, in order to prevent Meta from further retaining, disclosing, or using Twitter’s intellectual property.

Spiro’s allegations against Meta primarily revolve around the company’s recruitment of former Twitter employees who allegedly had access to Twitter’s trade secrets and other confidential information. According to Twitter, these employees were deliberately assigned to develop Threads with the explicit intention of utilizing Twitter’s intellectual property. This, according to Spiro, violates both state and federal laws, as well as the ongoing obligations these employees have to Twitter.

The potential legal battle between Twitter and Meta could have far-reaching consequences for both companies. As they prepare to lock horns in court, the outcome will not only impact their respective bottom lines but may also set a precedent for future disputes regarding intellectual property and trade secrets in the tech industry.

It remains to be seen how Meta will respond to Twitter’s allegations and the subsequent threat of legal action. The tech world will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on this case as it unfolds. Stay tuned for further updates on this intriguing battle between two social media giants.

Meta is yet to comment on Twitter’s accusations, and the response from Twitter’s legal team will likely determine the next course of action in this dispute. The battle lines have been drawn, and the courtroom may be the arena where these tech titans settle their differences.

By Alki David

Alki David — Publisher, Media Architect, SIN Network Creator - live, direct-to-public communication, media infrastructure, accountability journalism, and independent distribution. Born in Lagos, Nigeria; educated in the United Kingdom and Switzerland; attended the Royal College of Art. Early internet broadcaster — participated in real-time public coverage during the 1997 Mars landing era using experimental online transmission from Beverly Hills. Founder of FilmOn, one of the earliest global internet television networks offering live and on-demand broadcasting outside legacy gatekeepers. Publisher of SHOCKYA — reporting since 2010 on systemic corruption inside the entertainment business and its expansion into law, finance, and regulation. Creator of the SIN Network (ShockYA Integrated Network), a federated media and civic-information infrastructure spanning investigative journalism, live TV, documentary, and court-record reporting. Lived and worked for over 40 years inside global media hubs including Malibu, Beverly Hills, London, Hong Kong and Gstaad. Early encounter with Julian Assange during the first Hologram USA operations proved a formative turning point — exposing the realities of lawfare, information suppression, and concentrated media power. Principal complainant and driving force behind what court filings describe as the largest consolidated media–legal accountability action on record, now before the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Relocated to Antigua & Barbuda and entered sustained legal, civic, and informational confrontation over media power, safeguarding, and accountability at Commonwealth scale.